pmacct

At a glance

• Editor score
  7.5 / 10
• Pricing
  Free plan
• Best for
  Open-source, highly extensible flow accounting
• Free plan
  Yes
• Paid from
  Free
• Application visibility
  Yes
• Facts checked
  20 Sep 2026

• Where it wins

  • Collects packet, NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow, BGP, BMP and telemetry data
  • Supports Layer-7 classification, filtering, sampling, tagging and historical bins
  • Connects to SQL, NoSQL, messaging, search and analytics systems

• Where it doesn't

  • Requires Linux and self-hosted, on-premises deployment
  • Its broad configuration surface suits network specialists more than casual users
  • Does not provide a managed deployment model

Our verdict on pmacct

pmacct is an open-source suite of passive network monitoring and traffic-accounting daemons for network operators and engineers. It supports passive IPv4 and IPv6 packet accounting through libpcap, alongside NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow, NFLOG, BGP, BMP and streaming telemetry collection. The software is designed for teams that need self-hosted measurement, flow collection, accounting, replication or network-data export rather than a hosted monitoring service. Its deployment model is Linux-based and on premises.

Its strongest differentiator is breadth across collection, processing and retention. pmacct can aggregate, filter, sample, tag and classify traffic at Layer 7, while supporting bandwidth monitoring and conversation analysis. Results can remain in memory tables, move to SQL or NoSQL databases, or be written to flat files. Historical accounting uses configurable time bins, and the software can export or replicate through NetFlow, IPFIX and sFlow. This makes it a good fit for operators building a tailored accounting pipeline around existing network data practices.

The ecosystem fit is unusually wide for an open-source accounting toolkit. Supported integrations include MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, BerkeleyDB, MongoDB, Elasticsearch, InfluxDB, Druid and ClickHouse, plus RabbitMQ/AMQP and Kafka brokers. That range supports database storage, message publishing and downstream analytics, but it also makes pmacct better suited to teams comfortable selecting components and shaping their own architecture. Choose it when extensibility, protocol coverage and control matter most. Choose an alternative when you need a managed service, a simpler onboarding path or a product centered on a ready-made interface.

Your product? Our editors can test pmacct in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →

pmacct pricing

pmacct fact sheet

pmacct integrations

pmacct lists 12 integrations on its own site.

• MySQL
• MariaDB
• PostgreSQL
• SQLite
• BerkeleyDB
• MongoDB
• RabbitMQ/AMQP
• Kafka
• Elasticsearch
• InfluxDB
• Druid
• ClickHouse

Alternatives to pmacct

• ManageEngine NetFlow AnalyzerA broad traffic-analysis suite with a free edition and paid tiers for growing networks.9.3
• ntopngA broad self-hosted traffic analysis suite with a capable free Community plan.9.2
• SNSolarWinds NetFlow Traffic AnalyzerA focused choice for multi-vendor flow analysis, drill-downs, and historical reporting.9.0

See all pmacct alternatives →

Featured on iTechGuides

pmacct is listed in our Network Traffic Analysis Software directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update